Most Disney fans like to collect something… mugs, ornaments, Vinylmation, etc. But ever since I was young, I’ve loved collecting Disney pins.

Disney pins are metal pins that can be purchased all over Walt Disney World (and other Disney Parks locations). They’re available in most gift shops in the parks, hotels and at Disney Springs (Pin Traders and World of Disney). Pin enthusiasts may purchase single pins, mystery packs or special limited editions. Once you get some, you can trade with other people or keep them for your collection!

Trading pins is fun, you can do it with Cast Members, park guests or pin boards that are located at gift shops. Another cool way to trade is to go to a pin gathering, an unofficial pin trading party held by fans! If you start to become serious about collecting, be sure to know the value of your pins so someone won’t make an unfair trade with you. When I was younger, many people tried to swindle me out of rare pins for ones of “no worth”.

Everyone has a different pin collecting style. Some people only collect character, attraction or resort specific pins. Others look out for limited edition or special event ones. My collection is very random, I simply buy and trade pins that I like. I have a lot of Mickey ones, I love every pin design he is on. My other favorites are my Magic Kingdom one and my 2013 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party one. I also collect anything with Liberty Minnie on it, so I have a few pins of her!

The most special pin I have is one that a Cast Member gave me during the Year of a Million Dreams in 2006. Tinkerbell is on it with the words “Where dreams come true”. It is an “exclusive pixie dust pin,” and I feel very lucky to have it.

What kind of pins do you collect? How many do you have? What other Disney collections do you have? Tell me in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for listening & have a magical day! – Ruby 8:)

(Photos from the author’s personal collection.)

Ruby is a fourteen year old Disney fan, and she credits her mom with starting her early love of Disney. In addition to her enthusiasm for Disney, Ruby enjoys singing, drawing, reading, listening to music and writing. She will be reviewing Disney-related topics that are of interest to younger Disney fans—and their parents and grandparents!

]]>http://www.wdwradio.com/2016/08/my-disney-pin-collection/feed/948035Adventure Into The World of Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy: Disney Tip #44http://www.wdwradio.com/2014/03/adventure-world-yesterday-tomorrow-fantasy-disney-tip-44/
http://www.wdwradio.com/2014/03/adventure-world-yesterday-tomorrow-fantasy-disney-tip-44/#commentsFri, 28 Mar 2014 13:15:06 +0000http://www.wdwradio.com/?p=35169This week I thought it would be fun to talk about Pin Trading at Walt Disney World®. As many of you walk throughout the parks, you may notice guests and […]

This week I thought it would be fun to talk about Pin Trading at Walt Disney World®.

As many of you walk throughout the parks, you may notice guests and Cast Members loaded with Disney®pins on lanyards wrapped around their necks and wonder why they would be wearing them?

Well, Disney allows all guests and Cast Members to trade pins with one another. As a young boy, I was always so excited to be able to see what other people or Cast Members had to offer in exchange for a pin I had. (That was usually a fiasco deciding which pin I would give away…)

Nonetheless, every trip I would make to Walt Disney World®, I would make an effort to exchange for a new pin to commemorate my trip that year. I would do my best to find a pin that had a date on it so I could look back and remember the year I had received that pin.

For those of you who do not know, Cast Members who wear pin-filled lanyards will have a certain color lanyard on. Cast Members who are wearing a “green” lanyard will only exchange with kids, but all other colors are fair game to anyone.

Parents, if your children are into Pin Trading, the best time to begin trading is early in the morning when the Cast Members with a green lanyard typically have a fresh set of pins. Also, since these specific cast members only trade with kids, your children may have a better variety to choose from.

Happy trading everyone!

(Photo copyright Disney.)

How many of you have had the chance to trade pins with fellow guests or Cast Members? Do you have any memorable or funny stories while doing so? Comment below!

Peyton is currently a student at the University of Mississippi majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in print. Growing up in Los Angeles and most recently moving to Atlanta, he has seen and experienced the best of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Making his first visit to Walt Disney World at the age of 5, he has never looked back as he entered the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.

]]>http://www.wdwradio.com/2014/03/adventure-world-yesterday-tomorrow-fantasy-disney-tip-44/feed/235169VOTE NOW: Our Pin Collection “Went Disney”http://www.wdwradio.com/2012/01/vote-now-our-pin-collection-went-disney/
http://www.wdwradio.com/2012/01/vote-now-our-pin-collection-went-disney/#commentsWed, 01 Feb 2012 00:22:10 +0000http://www.wdwradio.com/?p=14635These days, if you want to prove to someone your Disney fandom, evidence of your devotion can be found in a simple pin.Â Disney pin collecting is so popular that […]

These days, if you want to prove to someone your Disney fandom, evidence of your devotion can be found in a simple pin.Â Disney pin collecting is so popular that we knew we needed to acknowledge this form of Disney passion with a contest.Â We have eleven amazing entries from members of the WDW Radio family who are clearly passionate about pin collecting.Â Please read their stories and look at their pictures… and then let us know which pin collection you think did the most magical job of “going Disney.”Â Voting will be open through Tuesday February 7 at 10pm EST.

Entry #1: Linda A: “We have been enjoying Disney pins since pin trading began years ago. But since there are so many beautifully designed pins from which to choose- we realized early on we had to choose a theme for this obsession!

So my husband John decided that for each trip, we would choose pins that had special meaning on that particular trip; a pin from our resort, a restaurant or 2, attractions and rides or a special event or holiday. And we choose a special lanyard for that trip as well- it might be themed to the year, season or some special event- or often itâ€™s just a plain color and we pick out a key chain with special meaning to hang from the bottom.

Then came the dilemma of what to do with our prized pins once we got home. These little pieces of art deserve to be on display!!

John found some unique drawer pulls and we have hung our pin lanyards to display them. One of our favorite places we display them is really only visible to our family. We chose the very large and completely unused space in our stairwell from our bedrooms to the main floor. In addition to hanging many of our lanyards, we also expanded this idea and framed several of the Disney Animated movie lithographs we used to get from the Disney Store with every new pre-order.

We enjoy starting each day (and every trip down the stairs!) with a little reminder of our very favorite place, the fun we had and the memories we created together.”

Entry #2: Kelly L: “Hi there to all at WDW Radio!Â I have quite the pin collection (don’t we all?) and this past summer we turned our guest room into my Disney room! In addition to using Disney “blue” paint, putting all my collections up, and buying Disney bedding, we made 3 framed cork boards for my pins! I have pins back to the late 1970’s from Disneyland when (growing up and living in L.A. for 30 years) the original style of pins actually was like a ladies type lapel pin. And over the years have collected hundreds of pins from Disney World and trips back to L.A…. I would never trade any of them! I buy at least two sometimes more pins each trip, and each pin has a special meaning to me!

I always kept my pins in a Disney pin carrier and would look at them from time to time but now I can see them every day. It was like putting puzzles together to get pins to fit on the cork boards while trying to not leave spaces. It was so much fun looking at my pins and remembering when I got each of them. I’m working on the 4th cork board now… maybe will be filled up after another trip or two!

Pixie dust to all!Â Your-Cousin-in-Miami, Kelly

Entry #3: Mike B: “I have had my pin display case for 10 years. My wife surprised me with for our 5th anniversary. The case is based off of a similar one that we had seen in an old Disney store catalog. The case is made of stained oak with anti-glare glass in the hinged door. The stained glass Mickey head was made by a family friend who does stain glass work on the side. The case has always been hung proudly on the living room walls of the two houses we’ve been in since I’ve had it. I’m not a huge character pin person, instead I’ve focused on getting park and cruise related pins. I have also collected pins for all the hotels I’ve stayed in. The hotel pins showÂ the year that the hotel was opened and are arranged in a circular pattern around the stained glass Mickey.”

Entry #4: Staci B.:Â “We used a souvenir map mounted on foam board to display our Disney park pin collection. e normally travel toÂ WDW in Florida, but I came across this Disneyland souvenir map and thought it would be a fun challenge to look for Disneyland pins to add to it.Â Â It has been fun getting to know another park through its pins.Â I have been working on my map project for a little over 7Â years now and I think I am nearing completion.Â I have 75+ pins ranging from Cast Member exclusives to retired pins and current editions.Â I hope to get it matted and framed in the next couple months.Â I am on the lookout for one or two more pins.”

Entry #5: Tony E: “I keep my 28 Disney pins on 2 different lanyards. When I’m between WDW vacations the lovely WWE Diva Kelly Kelly proudly displays them.Â My favorite pin is the one of Ariel in mermaid form with the jewels embedded in her tail. The reason it’s my favorite is because last February I managed to secure an ADR at Cinderella’s Royal Table. Ariel was one of the Princesses at the meal. As she was visiting with me her eyes zeroed in on the pin of herself. She declared her love for it with wide eyed wonder. I still smile when I think about her reaction.”

Entry #6: Michael B. “Iâ€™d like to say our Disney pin obsession began with my two young daughters, but have to admit that Iâ€™m worse than them. We have met some of the most wonderful and engaging cast members through our pin trading habit. We always come home with a new collection from each trip. My wife bought picture frames with a corkboard border, and then painted them to match our rec room (which is Mickey Shorts red, Mickey glove white and Mickeyâ€™s Body black thanks to Home Depot…) and we put our favourite family photo in the frame surrounded by the pins we collected that trip.

On a side note, one of my favourite Disney moments came one rainy night in MK, as we were in Town Square waiting for Wishes when my daughter realized her prized Toy Story Midway Mania pin had fallen off her lanyard and began to cry (sounds bad…but wait for it…). We watched Wishes as she choked back the tears and she made a wish to find the pin. I left them there and like a salmon up stream walked back into the park to retrace our steps, through a now deserted Tomorrowland and then on to our last ride of the night, the Mad Tea Party. There with the help of a cast member, I found the pin face down on the ground, where it had been stepped on which had bent the pin on the back, but otherwise unscathed. My daughters face when she saw it and her exclamation that ‘Wishes really do come true at Disney World!’ was that moment that reminded me why I truly love this place.”

Entry #7: Rich V.: “Our pin cabinet collection began in the spring of 2004, as we prepared for our first trip to Walt Disney World.Â We bought a few Disneyland pins to wear on lanyards while at WDW. Â We returned with about three dozen WDW pins and we were hooked.

Each pin is a miniature work of art and needs to be displayed so that we can enjoy its beauty.Â We currently have seven large pin cabinets, as tall as four feet and as wide as three and a half feet. Additionally, we have nine smaller cabinets of about one foot by one foot.

To create these shadow boxes, we started with old windows and picture frames building boxes to hold the glass ‘doors.’Â Most of the larger cabinets are lit and are hinged for easy access. We used gold and silver leaf, glass beads, seashells, coins, and assorted paints and materials to finish the cabinets.Â Each cabinet has a specific theme; Disneylandâ€™s 50th (with the â€œI Was Thereâ€ pin), Pirates of the Caribbean, jeweled pins, WDW trip 1 & 2, Donald Duck, as well as, each California Disney park.

It was extremely difficult to select only three images to send in. We have chosen our silver leafed, Disneyland attraction cabinet that we accented with Swarovski crystals.Â The next image is of our MickeyÂ Mouse Club cabinet with the ready-made Disney shadow box.Â In it we used a tag from a classic collection Mickey t-shirt, and the large Mickey Mouse Club, TV pin.Â Our last pin cabinet holds the pins from our last WDW trip and displays our swords from Cinderellaâ€™s Royal Table.Â Our Cinderella photo and trip ‘cheat sheets’ make this pin cabinet a cherished memory, cabinet.”

Entry #8: Doug E.: “Here are our attempts at making our pin collection go Disney.Â Each member of our family has a pin pennant that my wife and sister-in-law made from felt material. They sewed a loop for the wooden dowel to go through and glued mickey ears on the bottom of each one.Â My wife and I share a pennant, and our son and daughter each have their own.Â They have them hanging up in their rooms, and they love looking at their pin collection all the time.”

Entry #9: Michael D: “My three pictures shows our collection (which also spans three rooms). Â The reason for spreading it out to three rooms is simple. Â We MUST have Disney surrounding us at all times. Â These pins signify everything from our favorite attractions, best trips, and even our wedding! Â The first picture is in our family room. Â Our Mickey ear collection (along with Oswald and Pooh) help to present some of our favorite pins. Â The second picture is our refrigerator. Â On it, we have turned some pins into magnets and completed the picture with our own Disney trip photos. Â We love Halloween photos at Disney Parks!! Â The last picture is in a bedroom that is used as a music room. Â What could be better than admiring our other pin board while we play through our favorite Alan Menken and Sherman Brothers songs! We hope you enjoy our collection!!!”

Entry #10: Jessica & Mike: “Hello and here we go with another WDW Radio contest. These are 3 photos from our Disney pin collection. We have over 1,000 pins in shadow boxes on our walls. We make sure to get a pin from every event, ride and resort we have been to. The 2 lanyards are the first 2 Jess and I did when we went on our first trip. The blue one is all Year of a Million Dream pins from when we won in 2007. You can also see our vinylmations displayed as well.”

Entry #11: Paul L.: “My Disney pins are displayed in a set of three cases on the wall of my apartment. Â One of my best friends made my first case for me, as a birthday present when I told her my collection was too large to be putting on multiple lanyards. Â She bought the frame from a arts & crafts store, and assembled it with black felt and corkboard. Â She then made the second one when my collection outgrew the first. Â Finally I made the last one myself after moving to Florida, when my collection started growing exponentially.

Everything hanging on my wall are my non-traders. Â I have a separate lanyard with 6-10 pins on it that are purely traders, for when I go to the parks. Â My non-trading collection includes many sets and themes:

A Sorcerer Mickey & The Castle pin for every year I was in WDW.

Annual Passholder pins for every year I was an annual passholder.

A set of Disney Villains and a set of Disney Heroes

Two different sets of Muppets – one set is them all wearing Mickey Ears.

Pins that I’ve been given for completing special tours or events, such as the Keys to the Kingdom, the Epcot & Fort Wilderness Segway Tours, the Yuletide Magic tour, and the Animation Academy at DisneyQuest

And, most important to me, one Disney pin for each of the 8 runDisney races I completed.

The rest of my non-traders are pins that friends have given to me or that just looked really cool at the time.

As you can see, my third pin case is getting pretty full. Â It probably won’t be too long before I need to start working on a fourth case.

How’s that for an amazing set of tributes to the magic we all love so much?Â I know it will be a hard choice, but please vote below for which pin collection you think did the most magical job of “going Disney!”Â Voting will be open through Tuesday February 7, 2012 at 10PM EST.

Have fun!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. This is show #109 for the week of March 8, 2009. I am your host Lou Mongello, bringing you the very best ways to enjoy and enhance your Walt Disney World vacation experience in a fun, family-friendly weekly show.

Weâ€™ll start off this weekâ€™s show with news from Walt Disney World, including dates for Mickeyâ€™s Not So Scary Halloween Party, changes coming to Downtown Disney, and opinion questions for you the listener.

I often try and cover topics on the show which are meant to not only inform, educate and entertain you, but really try and help you get the most out of your Walt Disney World vacation, whether you travel alone, as a couple, with friends or family. This week, I am joined by Chuck Lionberger, as we want to explore Disney pin trading, not as the phenomenon that it is but as something you can do with your family, and the experience before, during and even after your trip to Walt Disney Word.

Another way I really enjoy helping with your vacation planning experience is by directly answering your emails, and this week, Beci Mahnken joins me once again to talk about everything from taking babies to the parks, thrill rides that arenâ€™t a literal pain in the neck, the Premium Pass, Disney books, theme park music, and many more topics.

Iâ€™ll announce the winner and answers to last weekâ€™s Walt Disney World Trivia Contest, and test you with more questions and a different type of bonus challenge as well.

Stay tuned to the end of the show for some more announcements as well as some of your wonderful voicemails, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

We will be gathering in Epcot’s World Showcase in France, near the bridge heading towards the UK.

The meet will be an informal gathering of listeners, readers, forum members, etc., It will be an opportunity for us to get together, chat, maybe play a game/contest, ride an attraction, grab something to eat (of course) – whatever!

We’ll be starting at 2:00 p.m., but if you’re late, that’s OK! Come by and say hi! Afterward, who knows? Maybe we’ll wander World Showcase and take in the Flower & Garden Festival!

When: [2:00] PM – Saturday, March 21, 2009Where: Epcot’s World Showcase in France, near the bridge heading towards the UK.

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No RSVP necessary, but if you’d like to let us know you’re coming, please post a reply in the forums or on the EVENT page in Facebook